Rail

BART, unions back to bargaining table after lawsuit

SAN FRANCISCO — Reuters reported that Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) managers and union leaders resumed talks on Thursday to resolve a dispute over a contract provision that included a family medical leave clause that led to a lawsuit.

In October, soon after union members ratified the deal, BART voted to approve the contracts without the clause, which they said they hadn’t meant to leave in the agreement. The unions then filed a lawsuit to enforce the contract with the family leave term, which they said BART unlawfully reneged on.

A BART spokesperson said the agency could not afford the paid six weeks, which would cost between $1.4 million and $44 million over the four-year contract, depending on how many employees used it. Union officials told Reuters that they would not rule out the option of a third strike over the dispute. For the full story, click here.

Rail Operations is currently in the process of replacing all stub end tracks at Hoboken Terminal with new sliding friction bumper blocks, as well as advancing a speed control system for trains entering Hoboken Terminal.

The $99 million streetcar opened in December 2014 amid sky-high expectations, but ridership failed to meet expectations in its first year and plummeted nearly 60% after the city began charging $1 to ride.